Localization
10
Closer inspection of the native’s beliefs shows us a rich, versatile and diverse spiritual world. One can see the presence of some local features along with the more general ones, which preside over the whole nation. Essential similarities can be found in the nature of the cult, the objects of worship and the term of practices. Later on, these foundations transformed to serve the local needs. Forces that may influence this transformation arise thanks to the unique way of life of the tribe (food gathering methods, housing practices, etc). Another major factor is the degree of development of the local society. Even some features of the adjacent tribe’s way of life can have an impact on a group thanks to trade or other forms of contact. Callicott summarized this the following way “The aboriginal peoples of the North American continent lived in environments quite different from one another and had culturally adapted to these environments in quite different ways” (Environmental Ethics, 293). For example, the gathering of food determined the spirit world in the following way. The nomadic tribes living in the inner regions of North America, who were hunter gatherers, often facing harsh and unpredictable natural conditions had the deepest respect for animals and plants. After collecting plants, they prayed to their spirits, after killing in the hunt, they buried certain body parts of the animal, while asking for forgiveness. Healing powers were also derived from animal spirits, constellations were named after them. The area’s mythology is rich in tales about certain deeds of animals and plants: essentially the creation of the world, the natural order and the human traditions are all explained with previous actions of animals.
Elsewhere the fish providing river developed a religious following, while other, agricultural tribes respected the fertile land.